Generally, the portable terminal refers to a device making it possible to perform: a function of communication with the other users, such as voice communication, SMS transmission and the like; a function of data communication, such as Internet surfing, mobile banking, multimedia file transmission and the like; and, a function of entertainment, such as gaming, music playback and moving picture playback, while a user carry the portable terminal with him or her. It is common to make the portable terminal specialized for the communication function, the game function, the multimedia function, the electronic scheduler and the like. Recently, however, various kinds of functions are enjoyable only with a mobile communication terminal thanks to the development in the electric/electronic technology and the communication technology.
The portable terminal includes a keypad, a display device, a mouthpiece, an earpiece, and the like as an input/output device. Of course, with the addition of a separate speaker phone, a more abundant sound may be outputted in the game or the multimedia function. Generally the keypad has the configuration in which the user manipulates operation buttons in a physical way. However, with the generalization of a display with onboard touch-screen function in recent times, the touch screen display device has replaced the keypad. Thereby, it is possible to reduce a size of the portable terminal by eliminating the physical keypad and utilizing a space provided for the keypad, while enlarging a screen size of the display device.
FIG. 1 is a top view of a portable terminal 10 according to an illustrative example and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the portable terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the portable terminal 10 according to an illustrative example has a window member 13 installed on a front face of a case member 11 and a speaker device 19 for outputting sound, installed on an upper side. In the voice communication, the speaker device 19 may be used as a receiver. A flat display module 21 (FIG. 2) is installed inside of the window member 13, wherein the display module 21 is attached to the case member 11 through a sponge member 15.
Herein-below, a structure for installing the display module 21 will be detailed with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the display module 21 is disposed between the window member 13 and the case member 11.
The display module 21 is included in a space enclosed by the window member 13 and the case member 11, wherein a front face of the display module is attached to the window member 13 and a rear face of the display module is attached to the case member 11, so that the display module is fixed in the terminal 10. The window member 13 has an edge attached to the case member 11 by way of adhesive or double sided adhesive tape cut to correspond to a bezel shape. As the front face of the display module 21 needs to display images, optical adhesive or optical adhesive film 17d is used for attaching the front face of the display module 21 to the window member 13.
A mesh tape 17c is attached to the rear face of the display module 21, and the sponge member 15 is attached to the rear face of the display module 21 along an edge thereof by way of the mesh tape 17c. Also, the sponge member 15 is attached to a front face of the case member 10 by way of a double sided adhesive tape. Thereby, the display module 21 is fixed within the terminal 10. Additionally, a heat-radiant sheet 17b may be attached to the area surrounded by the sponge sheet 17b on the front face of the case member 11. The heat-radiant sheet 17b partially replaces the double-sided adhesive tape 17a to make the sponge member 15 attached to the case member 11.
The portable terminal configured-above has such a problem as transferring an impact to the display module through the window member when it is subjected to the impact due to a fall. Referring to FIG. 2 again, the flat display module is typically configured to have a pair of panels 23 arranged to face each other with a predetermined distance there-between and a cell seal 25 filling a space formed between the panels.
When the impact is applied to the flat display module without dispersing the external impact, the display module becomes deformed in a wavelike shape to transfer the impact. This type of impact wave reaches the edge of the display module to thereby damage the cell seal or cause a crack in the panels included in the display module. The display module damaged in this way is discolored, so that it becomes impossible to display a normal image or leads to a malfunction.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.